With some 80% of Halloween merchandise made predominately of cheap plastics and an estimated 7 million costumes disposed of after October 31st, a scary amount of Halloween waste goes to landfill each year.
However, for those seeking to reduce their plastic ‘clawprint’ and still enjoy a happy Halloween, there are plenty of ways to have a scarily good time.
1. Crafty costumes – Rather than buying new, you could buy a second hand costume online, or why not create your own from clothing brought from your local charity shop.
2. Do-it-yourself decorations – You don’t need to buy plastic pumpkins and bat bunting. With a little effort you could make your own decorations from reusable or recyclable materials.
3. Tricks with treats – Most sweets come wrapped and packaged in plastic. You could substitute these for home made biscuits.
4. Compost your pumpkin – Don’t forget to compost your pumpkin too! Mammals such as squirrels, deer and mice will also eat pumpkin, so you could leave it out first for the local wildlife to have a nibble.
Happy Halloween!